BENTONVILLE, Ark. (BRAIN) — A new federal study of micromobility injuries and deaths found that injuries associated with all micromobility devices increased nearly 21% in 2022 from 2021.
Speaking at this week's PeopleForBikes' SHIFT'23 conference here, CPSC Commissioner Mary T. Boyle said, "For e-bikes, there is some really concerning data here." She added that the CPSC coding system doesn't have a separate e-bike code. "So my guess is that's likely an undercount."
The report (pdf attached) estimated a total of 53,200 emergency room visits from 2017 through 2022 associated with e-bike incidents — about 15% of the overall micromobility injury estimate in the same timeframe. Since the study is based directly on emergency health records, there is no way of seeing if the injuries and deaths are proportionate to usage changes for the various micromobility devices, which include e-scooters, hoverboards and e-bikes.
CPSC is also aware of 233 deaths associated with micromobility devices from 2017 through 2022, although reporting is ongoing and incomplete. CPSC staff is aware of 104 e-bike related fatalities from 2017 through 2022, with motor vehicle accidents and control issues the top hazards associated with e-bike fatalities.
Fires were a significant hazard across all micromobility devices. CPSC is aware of 19 deaths associated with micromobility device fires from Jan. 1, 2021, through Nov. 28, 2022. Most of the e-bike and e-scooter fatalities were related to auto vehicle collisions.
